What to do When iTunes Won’t Detect an iPhone, iPad, or iPod

You’ve plugged an iPhone into a computer, and nothing happens. You look in iTunes, and the iPhone, iPod, or iPad isn’t there. Great, now what? What in the heck is going on?

Don’t worry, there are usually a few simple solutions that will resolve the problem and et your computer to detect the iPhone or iPad again, so try these tricks first in any whatever order works best for you.

7 Simple Tricks to Get iTunes to Recognize an iOS Device

Start with the the first five tricks, they are nice and easy, whereas the latter two tricks are slightly more involved and we detail those a bit more below:

Quit and relaunch iTunes

Connect the iOS device to a different USB port on the computer

Reboot the iPhone, iPad, or iPod

Reboot the computer

Use a different syncing cable (if possible)

Reinstall iTunes (read how below)

Update the iPhone driver in Windows PC (read how below)

If you happen to be using a USB dock, skip the USB dock and try connecting the USB cable directly to the computer as well.

The last option is most relevant for torn and frayed cables and for those using the cheapy third party cables that seem to fail.

Did you complete those five easy steps and find iPhone or iPad is still not recognized by iTunes on the computer? There’s more to try including reinstalling iTunes, and for Windows users on PC to update the iPhone device driver – keep reading to learn how!

The iPhone/iPad/iPod is Still Not Detected, Now What?

If the iPhone, iPad, or iPod is still not recognized by iTunes, the next thing you should do is delete iTunes and reinstall it with a fresh version from Apple. That process is going to be different whether the computer is a Mac or Windows PC.

Uninstall iTunes: In Mac OS X, iTunes is a protected app and must be uninstalled from the Terminal, in Windows it will be uninstalled through Control Panel

For iPhone / iPad Not Being Detected in Windows, Update iPhone Driver

For Windows PC users whose iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is not being found or detected by iTunes or the computer, you can update the iOS Device Driver like so:

Go to the Device Manager in Windows, and locate “Apple iPhone” under portable devices section

Right click on the ‘Apple iPhone’ and choose “Update software”

Now click “Browse on my computer”

Navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple… and choose the folder called “Drivers”

The updated driver will install and update and iTunes should now detect the iPhone, ipad, or iPod touch as intended.

That driver approach is for Windows PC, for Mac there is no driver to update in Mac OS X aside from iTunes and general Mac OS X system software, which is updated from  Apple menu > App Store > Updates.

iTunes & iPhone Still Not Working Together?

If you’ve done all the troubleshooting tricks above and the iOS device is still not detected, try connecting the iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch to a different computer and see if it’s identified. This can help rule out if the problem is with the original computer, or if it’s a problem with the iOS device itself. If it’s connected to another computer and still won’t be recognized, there could be a problem with the physical connector port on the iOS device itself, or some other hardware related issue, and you’ll probably want to call Apple to sort it out. Before doing so, be sure to back up the device manually with iCloud, since iCloud will be able to backup important data in iOS even if the device can’t connect to a computer.

Have another solution for what you do when iTunes or a computer won’t detect an iPhone, iPad, or iPod? Let us know in the comments below, and share your tricks and troubleshooting techniques for Mac OS X and Windows!

156 Comments

OK so this could be a fluke with my Mac, but for MacBook Pro owners do this: only use the USB cable closest to the power adapter. Maybe it draws more power because it’s closer? Who knows, but I had sporadic problems with my iPad not charging and not being recognized and switching to the other USB port solved it.

My iPhone 4 and my old Classic iPod are quite often not found on my Windows 7 POS 64 bit. All have the latest updates. And when I connect my iPad 3 using the same cables, it’s always found. I fairly sure that the iPhone 4 and iOS 6.0.1 refuse to play well together. The more iTunes updates, the slower the Classic becomes, I guess that’s progress.

I’ve found that USB cables without a ferrite core near the two connectors would cause problems for all sorts of devices’ recognition. My new Nikon D3100 came with two snap-on ferrite cores: one for the USB cable (not supplied) and the other for an A/V cable (also not supplied). I’d already figured out the noise-damping ferrite’s presence made the difference between my el-cheapo-supreme Olympus camera being recognized or not. Electrical noise would also account for the anecdotal account of one USB port being better than another (closer to ground).

there’s another, last-resort option not listed here. factory reset the device. i once had an iPhone that absolutely refused to be recognized, even after taking all the steps listed above. i finally did a factory reset, which completely wiped the phone but did make it recognizable by iTunes again. fortunately i had a recent backup on iTunes, so when i plugged in and set the “new” iPhone up i performed a restore from the backup. after that everything synced just fine, and the only annoying part was having to log in to all my connected apps all over again.

If you are on Windows and your PC beeps (recognizes the USB device) when you connect your phone, if closing and open iTunes didn’t help, open Services and restart the Apple Mobile Device service. That usually does it for me and is faster than rebooting and certainly faster than uninstalling and reinstalling iTunes.

If your PC does not beep when you plug your phone in and trying a different USB port doesn’t help, instead of just restarting your PC, actually power it down and then turn it back on.

My Apple devices are detected by windows explorer but not by itunes. Tried a few tricks recommended by users but nothing helps. Something to do with Microsoft Portable Device being replaced or corrupted.

I was having an irritating problem when my itunes wasn’t recognizing my iphone 4. So after a whole bunch of websites, I finally got my answer on this one! I couldn’t seem to find out what the hell the problem was until i saw this….
“The last option is most relevant for torn and frayed cables and for those using the cheapy third party cables that seem to fail.”
Ahahaha I was totally using the cheap third party cables cause the original cable breaks in 1 pull :/
I can finally destress now :D Thanks OSXDAILY!

Running windows 7 64 bit, itunes 11. I’ve tried all of these measures and none work. Device shows up in windows and beeps when i plug it in. But when I check itunes no device shows up. Tried using the original usb cable after using the one that always worked in the past and no go. Ridiculous. Any other solutions out there?

I’ve got Window 7 64-bit, What worked for me was to add SyncServer to the list of allowable programs in Window Firewall. The location of the file is C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\SyncServer.exe
Allow that and that’s all there was to it. If iTunes is slow to recognize the device after this, it also helps to go to Task manager and click the Services tab, Stop the “Apple Mobile device” service and start it again. Shortly after this, ITunes was able to find me and I exploded with glee! lol

Running W8.1 64-bit. Although Windows recognised my iPod touch & iPhone4, iTunes wouldn’t! Tried my old Vista PC & they were recognised in older version of iTunes.
Back to W8.1; using ‘Add/remove programs’, twice uninstalled & reinstalled iTunes & anything with Apple in the name but problem persisted. Finally found that in my ‘Music’ folder, iTunes creates a file called ‘iTunes’. I deleted this & uninstalled all Apple stuff as previously. Reinstalled iTunes from a fresh download & my i devices are now recognised.

1 Go in to your device manager and locate “Apple iPhone” under portable devices
2 Right click and go “update software”
3 Click “Browse on my computer”
4 Navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple… and there’s a subfolder in there called ‘Drivers’.
5 It should install an updated driver and work.

When I first saw this, I wondered why it would work when looking online for the driver hadn’t worked (I got a message saying I already had the appropriate driver installed). Well, what do you know, THIS WORKED. Thank you so much!

So my ipod is no longer detected by itunes as of last week after months of usage. I try to restore my laptop, reinstalled itunes and nothing. No devices is detected by itunes, but using the same cables and a different laptop everything works fine.
Any suggestions_

My iPod isn’t being detected when I try to connect it to iTunes. I have been on various websites to try find a solution; have reinstalled it, tried other music sites but it still isn’t recognised.
I am also using my dads iPod and it, again isn’t recognised. The USB cable is fairly new and I don’t have access to any other computers to try them. I have basically spent the whole day trying to work it and it’s frustrating!!! Any help?
Thanks

When we fiddle around with our PC’s, we tend to try and do the right thing by downloading updates and programs to help, only to discover things just will not work anymore. Some software programs interrupt our happy computer. GRRRRR!!!

These programs change settings and corrupt settings and interrupt settings. Sometimes these so called programs conflict with each other for some god damn unknown reason. I mean WHYYYYYYYY????? Just so we keep spending money or waste our time in virtual reality. Why peeve people off all the time???

All of us laymen people try to find a solution without it costing us. It shouldn’t cost us and should be the manufacturers problem. These cost could mean going without some food, which yeah! everyone says if you can’t afford blah blah blah but we didn’t invent money to take control and create slaves. This is our home(EARTH) too.

Anyway this problem has many different repair options that people have come across and implemented; some successful and some not so successful. Well, myself………

I started by uninstalling re-installing, doing every single thing that i had come across only to be frustrated more and more. At the same time while trying to sync my IPOD i also lost a perfectly good working printer. Now what gives?

One solution says that the USB cable is at fault. Hmmmm! Well i thought; well if i had tried everything else, than it could be possible. Like most, i hate going out and spending money on things that are not the problem, not needed or just another waste of time. I decided to persevere.

When i found my printer not working i became irate. I was looking in device manager, restarting, going into safe mode and every single thing i could think of. It than hit me like a paddle in the face when i had read about a reason why my printer was not working. I mean, it would scan and do other jobs but i just could not print a simple word document.

This is where i discovered that it could be a damaged USB port or missing drivers for that port. I changed my cables to a different USB port and low and behold, i was able to sync my device and get my printer working again. Obviously a work around because i am sure the original ports will not be working, however, later, when i calm down, i will look into this.

My ipod would not even connect to transcopy let alone itunes. Transcopy was meant to be easy. Once i changed USB ports, everything worked. Much like replacing a USB cable i guess. I used Transcopy by the way without ICRAp and Quickrubbish being installed at all and just dragged and dropped files straight onto my IPOD. Once i changed to another USB port of course, and all for free except my valuable time that these companies think is at their right or ownership to use at will….. THE END!

I thought the great idea behind Apple was that it required no technical skill by its user. Shame that isn’t true. Can’t get the iTunes to acknowledge the iPod Classic and have tried everything suggested above. The lead is the original and its hardly ever been used though it might be that but the computer acknowledges the iPod only iTunes doesn’t. Just have to live without SYNC I guess.

I have Windows 10 and just got the iPhone 5S. I plug the USB cable in and the computer detects it, but iTunes doesn’t. I have tried all the steps listed above and nothing worked. The computer downloads and opens the photo desktop app when I plug in the device but iTunes does not recognize it. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!!

I want to change the location for my Apple account but I get a message that says I can’t change the account location as long as there is money in the account. I have USD 0.28 in my account. How do I spend 0.28? Apple is tiresome sometimes :)

iPhone, iPad, or iPod not recognized in iTunes for Windows
If your iPhone, iPad or iPod won’t connect to iTunes on your PC, try the steps below.

Use these steps if your iPhone, iPad, or iPod doesn’t appear under Devices in iTunes after you connect it to your Windows PC. When trying these steps, don’t manually place the device into recovery mode. You also might have seen one of these messages:
The device can’t be restored in iTunes.
A “!” or “?” symbol, plug symbol, or “X” appears next to the device’s entry in Device Manager.
During an update or restore, the device might no longer be recognized by iTunes.
If you’re using a Mac, learn what to do if your device isn’t recognized in OS X.
Restart

Turn off your computer and your iOS device or iPod, then turn them on again.
Update your computer

Check to make sure that you’ve installed all required updates for your computer.
Update iTunes

Check that you have the latest version of iTunes installed on your computer.
Make sure your iOS device trusts your computer

If you connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your computer and see “If you have not connected your iOS device to this computer before, unlock the device and tap Trust,” make sure that your device trusts the computer.

If you use Windows XP and you see the trust alert on your device repeatedly, make sure that you installed iTunes. Learn how to resolve a repeating trust alert when using Windows XP. You might need to reset the lockdown folder.
Check the USB cable

Verify that the 30-pin to USB cable or Lightning Connector to USB cable is free of debris and not damaged. If another cable is available, test with that cable instead.
USB cables that are bundled with third-party products or accessories might work only to charge those products and might not transmit data. Also, if you’re using a third-party case or extended battery pack, try removing the case and connecting the Apple-supplied USB cable directly to your device.
Verify that Apple Mobile Device Support is installed

iOS devices require Apple Mobile Device Support, which should be automatically installed with iTunes. To verify whether it is installed, follow the steps appropriate for your Windows operating system below.
Windows 8
Move the cursor to the upper-right corner and click the magnifying glass.
Type Control Panel, and press Return.
Click “Uninstall a program.”
Verify that Apple Mobile Device Support is visible in the list of currently installed programs.
If Apple Mobile Device Support isn’t listed, remove iTunes, QuickTime, Apple Software Update, Apple Application Support, then reinstall iTunes.
Reinstall iTunes for Windows XP
Reinstall iTunes for Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8
If you reinstall iTunes, and Apple Mobile Device Support still isn’t installed, you can resolve issues installing iTunes for Windows.
Windows Vista and Windows 7
Click Start.
Choose Control Panel.
Click “Uninstall a program” (if you’re using Windows Vista’s Classic View of the Control Panel, click “Programs and Features”).
Verify that Apple Mobile Device Support is visible in the list of currently installed programs.
Windows XP
Click Start.
Choose Control Panel.
Open the “Add or Remove Programs” control panel and verify that Apple Mobile Device Support is visible in the list of currently installed programs.
Restart the Apple Mobile Device Service

Learn how to restart the Apple Mobile Device Service (AMDS) on Windows.
Verify that the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver is installed

Locate the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver. If this entry is displayed without a down arrow, “!” or “?” symbols over it, then this driver is successfully installed. Continue to “Check for third-party software conflicts”.

If the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver isn’t listed, continue to “If the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver is not listed.”
If you see a down arrow next to the device’s entry, then this device is disabled. To enable this device, right-click it and choose Enable from the shortcut menu.

If the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver entry is listed, but has a “!” or “?” over it, reinstall the Apple Mobile Device Driver:
Right click the Apple Mobile Device entry in Device Manager.
Choose Uninstall from the shortcut menu.
When prompted, select the box “Delete the driver software for this device,” and click OK.
In the resulting dialog box, click OK.
In the Device Manager window, right-click “Universal Serial Bus controllers” and choose “Scan for hardware changes” from the shortcut menu.

Windows automatically reinstalls the necessary drivers and attempts to remount the device.
If the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver entry still has an exclamation mark or question mark over it, right-click this entry and choose Properties. Under the General tab, look beneath “Device status.”
If you see a message that reads: “Windows cannot verify the digital signature for the drivers required for this device. A recent hardware or software change might have installed a file that is signed incorrectly or damaged, or that might be malicious software from an unknown source. (Code 52),” see the section below for Error Code 52.
If you see a different error code, manually update the Apple Mobile Device driver:
Right-click the Apple Mobile Device entry in Device Manager.
Choose Update Driver Software.
Select “Browse my computer for driver software”.
Select “Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer”.
Click the Have Disk button. If the Have Disk option isn’t available, choose a device category like Mobile Phone or Storage Device (if listed). Then click next. The Have Disk button should appear.
Click the Browse button and navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers.
Double-click the “usbaapl” file. (This file will be called “usbaapl64” if you have a 64-bit version of Windows. If you don’t see “usbaapl64” here, or if there’s no Drivers folder, look in C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers).
Click Open in the Have Disk window. Click Next. Then click Finish. Windows will install the driver
During installation, if a message appears stating that the software you are installing “has not passed Windows Logo testing,” click Continue Anyway to continue installing the drivers. You can find solutions to other common errors and error code numbers in this Microsoft article.
Windows XP
Connect the device to the computer.
Quit iTunes if it opens.
In the Start menu, right-click My Computer, and choose Properties.
Click the Hardware tab, then click the Device Manager button. The Device Manager window should open.
Click the plus (+) icon next to Universal Serial Bus controllers to expand this selection.

Locate the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver in this list. If this entry is displayed without any “x”, “!” or “?” symbols over it, then this driver is successfully installed. Continue to “Check for third-party software conflicts”.

If the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver is not listed, continue to “If the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver is not listed”.
If the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver is listed, but has a red “X” appearing next to the device’s entry, this device is disabled. To enable this device, right-click its entry in Device Manager and choose Enable from the shortcut menu.

If the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver entry is listed, but has an exclamation mark or question mark over it, reinstall the Apple Mobile Device driver:

Windows automatically reinstalls the necessary drivers and attempts to remount the device.
If the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver entry still has an exclamation mark or question mark over it, manually update the Apple Mobile Device driver:
Right-click the Apple Mobile Device entry in Device Manager.
Choose Update Driver from the shortcut menu.
If asked to connect to Windows Update to search for software, choose “No, not this time.”
Select “Install from a list or specific location (Advanced).”
Click Next.
Select “Don’t search. I will choose the driver to install”.
Click Next.

Click the Have Disk button. If the Have Disk option is not available, choose a device category such as Mobile Phone or Storage Device (if listed). Then click next. The Have Disk button should appear.
Click the Browse button, then navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers.
Double-click the usbaapl file.
Click OK in the Have Disk window.
Click Next.
Click Finish. Windows installs the driver.
During installation, if a message appears stating that the software you are installing “has not passed Windows Logo testing,” click Continue Anyway to continue installing the drivers.
Error Code 52
You might see this message in the Properties window for your device: “Windows cannot verify the digital signature for the drivers required for this device. A recent hardware or software change might have installed a file that is signed incorrectly or damaged, or that might be malicious software from an unknown source. (Code 52).”

To resolve Error Code 52:
Install all available updates for Windows. See this Microsoft article for more information on how to do this.
Consult your computer manufacturer for updates for your computer’s drivers, including disk drives, chipsets, and USB controllers.
Temporarily disable “forced driver signing enforcement” as follows:

Restart your computer.
While restarting, press the F8 key.
Windows Vista and Windows 7:
The Windows Advanced Options list should appear. Press the down arrow key until “Disable forced driver signing enforcement” is highlighted.
Press the Return key.
Windows 8:
The Windows Advanced Options list should appear. Press the down arrow key until “Disable forced driver signing enforcement” is highlighted.
Press the Return key.
Click “Change defaults or choose other options”.
Click “Choose other options”.
Click “Troubleshoot”.
Click “Advanced options”.
Click “Startup Settings”.
Click “Restart” when prompted.
When prompted, press the 7 key to “Disable driver signature enforcement”.
Reconnect the device.
If the device is recognized successfully, then you’ll need to perform these steps each time you start your computer. Consult Microsoft, or whoever supports the installation of Windows on your computer, for more troubleshooting to resolve the issue without having to select this option each time.
If the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver is not listed
Disconnect the device from the computer.
Save a screenshot by pressing the Home button and the Wake/Sleep button at the same time (the screen should flash briefly). Taking screenshots and saving images on iPod touch requires iOS version 2.0 or later.
Reconnect the device to the computer.
Open the Device Manager in Windows:
Windows 8:
Move the cursor to the upper-right corner.
Click the magnifying glass.
Type devmgmt.msc.
Press Return.
Windows Vista or Windows 7:
Click Start.
Type devmgmt.msc.
Press Return.
If Windows needs your permission to continue, click “Continue”.
Windows XP:
Click Start > Run.
In the resulting dialog, type devmgmt.msc.
Press Return.
Expand all the sections labeled below (not all sections might be listed):
Imaging Devices
Other Devices
Portable Devices
Universal Serial Bus Controllers
Look for the entry that recognizes the device as a camera. This entry should be called Apple iPhone, Apple iPad, or Apple iPod.
If only “Unknown Device” appears, follow these steps:
Right-click on the “Unknown Device” entry.
Choose “Properties” from the shortcut menu.
Click the Details tab.
In the drop-down menu, select “Hardware IDs”.
If the hardware ID displayed starts with: USB\VID_0000&PID_0000 (This means that Windows cannot read the hardware IDs of the device, and so has replaced them with all zeros. This is typically caused by a faulty USB connection, or an incompatibility with your USB chipset drivers).
Disconnect the device, and unplug all USB devices from your computer.
Shut your computer down, then power it back on.
Reconnect your device, testing each USB port for approximately 30 seconds to see if your device is recognized.
Test with an alternate, known-good 30-pin to USB cable or Lightning Connector to USB cable if available.
If you have an external USB 2.0 hub available, connect the hub to your PC, and connect the device to the hub.
If your device shows up in iTunes, try disconnecting the external USB 2.0 hub and connecting the device directly to your PC. If the issue returns, you may need to use the external USB 2.0 hub as a temporary workaround. Consult your computer manufacturer for any updates for your USB chipset.
If “Unknown Device” appears when connecting your device to more than 1 known-good computer, with more than 1 known-good USB cable, your device might need service. Learn more about your service options.
If only Apple iPhone, Apple iPad, or Apple iPod appears, follow these steps:
Windows XP
Right-click the Apple iPhone, Apple iPad, or Apple iPod entry in Device Manager and choose Update Driver from the shortcut menu.
If asked to connect to Windows Update to search for software, choose “No, not this time” and click Next.
Choose “Install from a list or specific location (Advanced)” and click Next.
Choose “Don’t search. I will choose the driver to install”, and click Next.
Click the Have Disk button. (If the Have Disk option is not present, choose a device category such as Mobile Phone or Storage Device if listed, and click next. Then the Have Disk button should appear.) In the “Install from Disk” dialog, click the Browse button.
Navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers.
Double-click the “usbaapl.inf” file, that is listed in this folder. Click OK on the “Install from Disk” dialog.
Click Next and finish the driver installation steps. Open iTunes to verify that the device is recognized properly.
Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8
Right-click the Apple iPhone, Apple iPad, or Apple iPod entry in Device Manager and choose Update Driver from the shortcut menu.
Click “Browse my computer for driver software”.
Click “Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer”.
Click the Have Disk button. (If the Have Disk option is not present, choose a device category such as Mobile Phone or Storage Device if listed, and click next. The Have Disk button should then appear.)
In the “Install from Disk” dialog, click the Browse button.
Use this window to navigate to the following folder:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers.
Double-click the “usbaapl” file. (This file will be called “usbaapl64” if you have a 64-bit version of Windows. If you don’t see “usbaapl64” here, or if there is no Drivers folder, look in C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers. instead).
Click OK in the “Install from Disk” dialog.
Click Next and finish the driver-installation steps. Open iTunes to verify that the device is recognized properly.
If the device is not recognized while in Recovery Mode
Your device might not be recognized while in recovery mode. This can happen during an update or restore of your device. Typically, when your device is in recovery mode, it will show the “Connect to iTunes” logo on its display. If iTunes does not recognize the device when in this state:
Open the Device Manager:
Windows XP:
Click Start > Run.
Type devmgmt.msc.
Press Return.
Windows Vista or Windows 7:
Click Start.
Type devmgmt.msc.
Press Return.
If Windows needs your permission to continue, click “Continue”.
Windows 8:
Move the cursor to the upper-right corner and click the magnifying glass.
Type devmgmt.msc.
Press Return.
Click the plus (+) icon (Windows XP and Vista) or the disclosure triangle ( ) (for Windows 7 and 8) next to Imaging Devices, Other Devices, Portable Devices, and Universal Serial Bus Controllers to expand these sections.
Check these sections for one or more entries called Apple Mobile Device (Recovery Mode). These entries might or might not have exclamation marks on them.
If you see only one Apple Mobile Device USB Driver entry that has no errors
Find out if the computer has USB 3.0 ports. Within Universal Serial Bus Controllers, locate any entries containing “USB 3.0” or “SuperSpeed USB” in the title. If these are listed, you have USB 3.0.
If you have USB 3.0
Try to connect the device to a different USB port. Try each port until the device is recognized. Some computers will have dedicated USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports. If so, a USB 2.0 port might resolve the issue.
Refer to your computer manufacturer for updates to the USB 3.0 chipset drivers.
If the issue persists, continue to “Check for third-party software conflicts.”
If you do not have USB 3.0
Continue to “Check for third-party software conflicts.”
If you see two Apple Mobile Device (Recovery Mode) entries with “!” symbols
Open the Device Manager and connect your device.
Click the View menu.
Select “Devices by connection.”
Locate the erroneous “Apple Mobile Device (Recovery Mode)” entries. You might need to expand all sections of the Device Manager to see them.
Directly above these entries will be a USB Composite Device entry.
Depending on your version of Windows, take the following steps to update this driver:
Windows XP
Right-click the parent USB Composite Device entry.
Choose Update Driver from the shortcut menu.
If asked to connect to Windows Update to search for software, choose “No, not this time”.
Click Next.
Choose “Install from a list or specific location (Advanced)”.
Click Next.
Choose “Don’t search. I will choose the driver to install”.
Click Next.
Click the Have Disk button.
In the “Install from Disk” dialog, click the Browse button.
Use this window to navigate to the following folder: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers.
Double-click the usbaapl file, which is listed in this folder. Click OK on the “Install from Disk” dialog.
Click Next and finish the driver installation steps.
Open iTunes to verify that the device is recognized properly, and continue restoring your device.
Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8
Right-click the parent USB Composite Device entry.
Choose Update Driver Software from the shortcut menu.
Click “Browse my computer for driver software”.
Click “Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer”.
Click the Have Disk button.
In the “Install from Disk” dialog, click the Browse button.
Use this window to navigate to the following folder:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers.
Double-click the usbaapl file. (This file will be called “usbaapl64” if you have a 64-bit version of Windows. If you don’t see “usbaapl64” here, or if there’s no Drivers folder, look in C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers).
Click OK in the “Install from Disk” dialog.
Click Next and finish the driver-installation steps.
Open iTunes to verify that the device is recognized properly, and continue restoring your device.
Check for third-party software conflicts

Certain phone and cellular device connectivity software from vendors like Samsung, Nokia, Bora, Novatel, Sony, Android, LG, Sierra, Huawei, Pantech, or Motorola might cause your device not to be recognized. If you have such software on your computer:
Uninstall the phone or cellular connectivity software temporarily, and test. Contact the manufacturer of this software for assistance in doing this. If you use the third-party phone or cellular device for your Internet connection, try connecting to an alternate network using Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
Remove iTunes and all related Apple software.

After reinstalling iTunes, test the device.
If you still need your third-party phone or cellular connectivity software that was removed, reinstall the software and test your device to ensure it still functions with iTunes. Contact the vendor of your phone connectivity software if the issue returns.
Also, third-party security software might conflict with devices connecting to iTunes. Follow this article to troubleshoot issues that might be caused by your security software. After resolving any issues that you might have with your security software, you might need to try the steps in this article again.
Information about products not manufactured by Apple, or independent websites not controlled or tested by Apple, is provided without recommendation or endorsement. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance, or use of third-party websites or products. Apple makes no representations regarding third-party website accuracy or reliability. Risks are inherent in the use of the Internet. Contact the vendor for additional information. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Last Modified: Jun 5, 2015

I’ve tried all the steps on this site and was giving up hope, till I scroll down to read the comments too. I actually force my lazy self to read your really long steps and finally fixed the detecting issue after installing back the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver. It’s totally worth it reading all the detailed steps you have written!

Many thanks! You saved me~ I can finally detect my ipad mini in itunes again!

If you’re like me and none of the above has worked here’s what you need to do !!! I just figured this out after synthesizing everything up above :

1. Go to your device manager. You can do this by clicking the magnifying glass in Windows 8 or searching your C Drive in Windows Explorer for earlier versions by typing in devmgmt.msc Double-click on it to open it up
2. Under universal serial bus controllers double-click on Apple Mobile Device USB Driver. Click on the Driver tab. Go to the bottom and click on uninstall :)
3. Now right click on Universal serial bus controllers again. Click ‘scan for hardware changes.’
4.it will now reinstall the current driver that you just deleted.
5. Your phone should now get recognized by your computer and click Allow
6. Now you can click on your Apple iPhone in Explorer.

All crap, I am running a windows PC, and using an ipad, all was fine until latest version of iTunes… Now I connect to the pc using usb, – all recognised by windows, but not by iTunes, tried all the listed fixes nothing works.., time to change to an android tablet I think.

Will these troubleshoot tricks work when computer states we need the latest version of the software? Because my computer has the latest updates available for the actual computer and iTunes- but iTunes still states it needs the latest version?

so i have tried everything for my iPod touch and mine and hubbies iPhone 5s and they still wont sync with iTunes!
they used to sync with no problem until up about a month ago my hubby plugged the ipod into the computer and was asked what action to take and i have know clue what one he might of hit. can someone please help me out here!!!!

I have windows 10, ever since the latest Itunes uptdate itunes refuses to recognise devices. i have uninstalled itunes twice and even reformated my ipod but nothing. I tried my ipod on 2 other computers and it worked fine. but it will not work with itunes on my computer leading me to believe there is something wrong with the latest update. however i dont know who to contact or how to report a bug or anything.

I tried all types of advice. Finally I plugged my phone to my PC. Went to device manager. Portable devices. It recognized my iPhone there. I went to drivers and clicked uninstall. Unplugged my phone, plugged it back in and it worked. Hope this helps

Ok, so I haven´t read the other comments, but I followed all the steps and iTunes still wouldn’t detect my iPhone. I tried uninstalling iTunes multiple times and reboot my computer, but this wouldn’t make a difference.
In the end I had to uninstall Apple Mobile Device Support along with iTunes through my Control Panel, and as I reinstalled iTunes, Apple Mobile Device Support would be reinstalled on my computer. Only then, as iPhone was plugged in to my computer, iTunes notified me that my iPhone could not communicate with iTunes because the software was prohibited to show the iPhone due to my codes and I had to trust the computer the iPhone was plugged in to.

Neither of our (wife/I) iPhone6’s will come up in iTunes on our new Dell computer running Windows 10. We have the newest iPhone update (iOS 10.0.1), newest iTunes update and have uninstalled iTunes and reinstalled a few times with no success. Have rebooted the computer…….no luck. Done everything that I’ve read online to do, but neither iPhone will come up.

Now, both do come up on our laptop running Windows 7. So, I do know that the problem is not with our iPhones. But, don’t know what will happen when we either get rid of our laptop and buy a new one that has Windows 10 in it or possibly upgrade our existing laptop to Windows 10. All I know is, if we change our laptop and I can’t sync either iPhone with it, we could be “up a creek”. And, when the times comes to buy a new iPhone, we won’t be able to use a computer to download the things that were on our iphone6.
Any ideas of what to do would be great helpful.

For Windows PC users whose iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is not being found or detected by iTunes or the computer, you can update the iOS Device Driver like so:

Go to the Device Manager in Windows, and locate “Apple iPhone” under portable devices section
Right click on the ‘Apple iPhone’ and choose “Update software”
Now click “Browse on my computer”
Navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple… and choose the folder called “Drivers”

This solution fixed it for me thanks a lot! My problem was that I was that I didn’t navigate to “C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple” thanks a lot for this!!

THIS WORKED! I tried everything I could find on the Internet to fix this issue with my iPod, but none of them worked. I had already succumb to the idea that I would have to purchase a new iPod, BUT this fixed the issue and iTunes now recognizes my iPod when I connect! THANK YOU!!!

it must be two or three weeks,,,,ipad air wasn’t charged so i charged it and instead of turning on it got stuck on apple logo for a whole day then i tried turning its logo screen off….eventually putting it in dfu mode….connecting to pc,,,,it only states ipad needs to be restored and doesn’t give option to update instead….yesterday…while pressing ipad butons it showed connected to itunes logo and gave me option t update….but for either update or the restore that i clicked before the download of ios never completes….and i don’t have the back up of my data….plus…the ipad never gets past the logo which apppears and dissapears itself…and it keeps showing the getting charged symbol….for weeks now….so i have to keep it plugged because otherwise it shows connnect for charging symbol…help pleaseee

I just followed Apple’s support instructions to locate and install the Apple driver and bypass the Windows 10 standard driver. Even though you don’t have a disk, the instructions cover that beautifully. It solved the problem of my iPad and iPhone not being recognized on a new Win 10 laptop.

I have tried all the fixes and my wife’s iPhone 6 will not synch (will charge) but mine will no matter what cable I use. I have redownloaded iTunes, rebooted laptop, rebooted phone, tried many cables, and yes have updated the driver even though it is always the latest and like I said my iPhone 6 synchs great but hers will not.

if you’re reading this you already wasted your money. quick return that piece of junk apple product you bought. I only used one computer with my tablet, new cable, all latest software, restarted everything. this thing N…E…V…E…R works. it’s like their goal is to make the newest apple product even worse than the last

I have recently upgraded my computer and have had no end of problems with iTunes, first it would not accept songs, then only when the HDD was connected to a different computer on the network, now since I have removed and reinstalled iTunes it wont recognise a previously recognised iPod, tried all the steps multiple times but not wanting to reinstall again as I have spent about 10 hours creating a playlist

This fixed my issue connecting an iphone SE and ipod to latest version iTunes on a Windows 10 laptop with usb 3.0:

Follow these steps to reinstall the Apple Mobile Device USB driver:

Disconnect your device from the computer.

Reconnect your device. If iTunes opens, close it.

Press the Windows and R key on your keyboard to open the Run command.

In the Run window, enter:

%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers

Click OK.

Right-click on the usbaapl64.inf or usbaapl.inf file and select Install.

You might see other files that start with usbaapl64 or usbaapl. Make sure to install the file that ends in .inf. If you’re not sure which file to install, right-click a blank area in the File Explorer Window, click View, then click Details to find the correct file type. You want to install the Setup Information file.

this worked for me thank you very much
Go to the Device Manager in Windows, and locate “Apple iPhone” under portable devices section
Right click on the ‘Apple iPhone’ and choose “Update software”
Now click “Browse on my computer”
Navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple… and choose the folder called “Drivers”

Thanks so much for this. iTunes was recognising my device earlier on today but then stopped. I’ve been trying for hours to sort it out and discovered this. I updated the phone driver following your instructions and it worked straight away. Much appreciated!!

Itunes on my MacBook Pro would not recognize my iPad. All I had to do was download and reinstall the latest version of Itunes (https://www.apple.com/itunes/download/). After the install, Itunes told me a new download was required to recognize my iPad. I installed the download, and now everything works perfectly!!

Mojave just came out with this latest version of Itunes but the Mojave install keeps failing on my MacBook.

JJ, Yes great point, being sure you have the latest version of iTunes installed on the computer is often an easy remedy to issues where iTunes will not detect an iPhone or iPad. Thanks for sharing your tip and experience!

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